Furka Cogwheel Steam Railway

The Furka Cogwheel Steam Railway (DFB ) is a licensed mountain railway company in Switzerland. Is driving the meter gauge rack railway from Realp over the Furka Pass to Upper Forest. It is operated by a non-profit corporation ( DFB AG). The staff of the railway recruited almost exclusively of volunteers ( " forced labor "), and releasing their work force over a Foundation for construction, maintenance and operation free of charge.

  • 6.2.1 Passenger Cars
  • 6.3.1 snowblowers

Geographical Location

The Furka was until 1981 a part of the Furka -Oberalp -Bahn in Switzerland, which runs from Brig over the Furka Oberalp and to Disentis.

Starting point of the route is the village Realp ( 1,538 m above sea level. M. ) in the canton of Uri. It follows the Reuss west. A rack route rises above the station Tiefenbach ( 1,846 m above sea level. M. ) to the culmination at the station Furka ( 2,160 m above sea level. M. ). The pass is driven under by a summit tunnel of 1,874 m length without rack. On the west portal of the tunnel (M. 1'757 m above sea level. ) The station Muttbach - Belvédère is located ( 2'118 m above sea level. M. ), from where further rack sections on Gletsch to upper forest ( 1,366 m above sea level. M. ) lead down in the canton of Valais. The entire route has a length of approximately 18 km. The highest slopes in less- rack sections 118 ‰ ("System abbot ": 2- lamellae as Furka -Oberalp -Bahn ) in the Adhäsionsabschnitten 35 ‰.

History of the railway line

The construction of the gear route across the Furka Pass was begun by the Brig- Furka -Disentis Railway ( BFD) in 1911 and 1915 due to the set due to the outbreak of the First World War, financial, technical and human problems. After the bankruptcy of the BFD in 1923 the construction in 1924 of the Furka -Oberalp -Bahn newly founded ( FO) with strong support of the two neighboring railway companies Rhaetian Railway (RhB) and Visp- Zermatt -Bahn ( VZ, later Brig -Visp- were Zermatt -Bahn ( BVZ ) ) was added again and opened the track in 1925. 1942, the line was electrified with an overhead line.

Because of the difficult situation, the avalanche mountain road is not safe for winter. So had in the late autumn the catenary dismantled and the Steffenbach bridge are folded. All tunnel portals were closed with gates. Due to the nearly seven -month winter break and then each of the necessary clean-up and repair work, the operation was very time-consuming and costly. With the start of construction of the Furka base tunnel in 1973 and the end of the mountain road was fast approaching. For winter break in 1981, the company was set on the mountain route and opened in 1982 the Furka Base Tunnel. The originally planned, in Switzerland statutory dismantling of the line was held up by railroad enthusiasts, the club the Furka Cogwheel Steam Railway and 1985 the Furka AG founded in 1983 as a supporting organization.

Now followed, starting in Realp, Extensive renovation work on the old mountain route, which had been neglected in recent years of operation. The first vehicles were purchased from various Swiss narrow gauge railways and subsequently restored. Funding for this work was carried out mainly through donations and through the sale of shares lovers. The still existing overhead line was dismantled.

Operation today

In 1992, the public train operation are recorded on the Realp -Tiefenbach section again, a year later, the extension followed to the station Furka (before the Furka summit tunnel ). After the renovation of the summit tunnel and the train station Gletsch and the reconstruction of a road crossing at Muttbach, which is in contrast to earlier navigate today without rack, the operation could be extended to the distance Realp - Gletsch in 2000. On 12 August 2010, the last section between Gletsch and upper forest was put back into operation. In addition, the ongoing maintenance work to cope with the expansion of the depot in Realp and the development of safety-related systems.

For 2011, was provided under the name " Swiss Alps Classic Express" for the first time since 1981 a classic Glacier Express train comparable with historic rolling stock from St. Moritz to Zermatt via the mountain route (and vice versa) to lead. The travel time of a total of about 14 hours each way, and therefore very unfavorable departure and arrival times, however, led to a very low demand, so the project was not realized. 2012 historic passenger trains were conducted with diesel traction between the upper forest and Gletsch and recorded these trips in the timetable for 2013 instead.

The railway company is in possession of a federal license and thus is under the supervision of the Federal Office of Transport (FOT ). Operation and maintenance of track and rolling stock as well as the accompanying publicity and administrative activities are carried out almost exclusively by volunteers to donate over the patrons (VFB ) free of charge in their free time. The association is active throughout Europe and in 23 sections ( of which 12 in Switzerland, 9 in Germany and one each in Belgium and the Netherlands ) organized with over 7500 members.

Share capital of the DFB AG

Following a capital increase 2010/11 the share and participation capital amounts to CHF 19,849,800.

Ridership

According to the 2009 Annual Report, published in 2010, were in 2007 a ​​total of 27 529, 25 196 passengers transported in 2009 in 2008 and 25,630 in the year. In the re-opening of the section Gletsch - Upper Forest 2010, the number of passengers increased, according to the Executive on 31 395 people. This level was maintained with 31,032 passengers in 2011.

Vehicle park

Locomotives

Steam locomotives

  • HG 2/3 6 White Horn ( 1902) SLM 1410 - former Visp- Zermatt -Bahn ( VZ ), donation
  • HG 2/3 7 Breithorn (1906 ) SLM 1725 - former Visp- Zermatt -Bahn ( VZ ), loan
  • HG 3 /4 1 Furkahorn (1913 ) SLM 2315 - former Brig- Furka -Disentis Railway ( BFD), bought in Vietnam
  • HG 3 /4 4 (1913 ) SLM 2318 - former Brig- Furka -Disentis Railway ( BFD), donation
  • HG 3/4 9 Gletschhorn (1914 ) SLM 2419 - former Brig- Furka -Disentis Railway ( BFD), bought in Vietnam

The first steam locomotive HG 2/3 No. 6, " White Horn " was able to resume operation. She had been built in 1902 for the Visp- Zermatt -Bahn. From 1941 she was used in a chemical factory in Chur, the Emser works as a locomotive factory. In 1965 she was decommissioned and placed on a pedestal in front of a memorial School in Chur. In 1988, she was the DFB left of the Chur school children as a gift, with the condition that he take the locomotive back into service. After extensive repairs she could be again in 1990 put into operation. Initially used mainly in construction services, it is now available once again biased passenger trains when necessary. Since 2010, HG 2/3 No. 7 comes Breithorn used, it was left to the DFB of the MGB loan. This locomotive is converted to light oil.

For large caused a stir in 1990 another project. Four out of ten original 1912/13, built in Winterthur steam locomotives HG 3/4 had been sold by the Furka -Oberalp -Bahn to the electrification of the line in 1947 to Vietnam, where they since the 1970s in an engine shed and along a route were parked and rotting. 1990 were two complete locomotives as well as useful parts of the other two are brought back to Switzerland again. Two time by the Swiss Locomotive and Machine Works (SLM ) delivered directly to Vietnam HG 4/4-Dampfloks could also be purchased and transported back. 1993 could be put into service two HG 3/4 again, after they had been processed in the Meiningen Steam Locomotive Works. They were given the operating numbers HG 3 /4 No. 1 « Furkahorn " and No. 2 " Gletschhorn ", the latter again in 1999 was returned to its original No. 9. The loan from the Matterhorn -Gotthard - Bahn (MGB, ex FO) provided Originallok HG 3 /4 No. 4 was completed renovated in June 2006 and arrived on 18 July 2006 for the first time with the mountain route in touch. To celebrate the full reopening of the route it was donated to the DFB on August 12, 2010.

The two locomotives of type HG 4/4 ( # 704 and 708 ) are currently being worked up. This work ( new firebox, new frame, boiler inspection ) are very complex, with the first driving tests is therefore not expected before 2014.

Power units with internal combustion engine (diesel, gasoline )

The engine internal combustion engine vehicles are supervised by the internal organization 'Diesel Crew'. The following locomotives are on the Furka mountain route in operation:

  • HGm 2/2 51 (1987 ) DFB
  • Tmh 2/2 985 (1963) RACO, formerly SBB ( Brünigbahn )
  • Tmh 2/2 986 ( 1963) RACO, formerly SBB ( Brünigbahn )
  • Tm 2/2 506 ( 1953) Asper, former CJ
  • Tm 2/2 91 (1959 ) RACO, formerly RhB
  • Tm 2/2 92 (1959 ) RACO, formerly RhB
  • Tm 2/2 68 (1948 ) RACO, formerly RhB
  • Xmh 1/2 4961 (1945 ), formerly FO
  • Xmp, formerly RhB

Electric locomotives and railcars

  • BDeh 2/4 41 (1941 ) SLM / BBC - formerly Schöllenenbahn ( SchB )
  • HGe 4/4 I 16 (1936 ) SLM / BBC - former Brig -Visp- Zermatt Bahn ( BVZ )

Car

Passenger cars

  • B2 2204 ( 1914) SIG - originally Brig- Furka -Disentis Railway ( BFD ) C2 204
  • B2 2206 ( 1914) SIG - originally Brig- Furka -Disentis Railway ( BFD ) C2 206
  • B2 2210 ( 1914) SIG - originally Brig- Furka -Disentis Railway ( BFD ) C2 210
  • B2 2228 (1903 ) SWS - originally Rhaetian Railway (RhB ) C2 228
  • BD2 2502 ( 1914) SIG - originally Brig- Furka -Disentis Railway ( BFD) C2, taken from steam friends Brig 202
  • AB 4453
  • AB 4466 (1961) SWS - originally Visp- Zermatt -Bahn ( VZ ) A4 2055
  • ABD 4554
  • ABD 4558
  • B 4222 (1890) SIG 6659 - originally Visp- Zermatt -Bahn ( VZ ) C4 42
  • C 2351 (1911) SIG - originally SGA
  • C 2353
  • C 2354

Cabooses

Snow blowers

  • Xrotd R 12 (1913) SLM 2399 - originally Rhaetian Railway (RhB), exchanged with the Xrotd 14 of Blonay -Chamby (BC )
  • Xrote (1940 ) SLM / MFO / SIG - originally Furka -Oberalp -Bahn ( FO) X 1021

Pictures

Lok 4 in Muttbach -Belvedere

Lok 1 in the rack section Gletsch - Muttbach -Belvedere

Lok 7 " Breithorn " with two ex - BVZ - center entrance cars

Occasionally a HGm 4/4 MGB is used here just before upper forest with 75 tons on the hook

Lower portal of the tunnels and Grimsel Pass road, between Gletsch and upper forest

Check- in Gletsch

Lok 1 is ranked in the upper forest on the turntable

Metre gauge Grade (slope) Oberwald Furkapass Furka–Oberalp railway Glacier-Express Matterhorn Gotthard Bahn
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